An insider's view of what is really happening in the Harris County Criminal Courts

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Gary Polland's Struggle for Relevancy

Ah, Gary Polland.

He so desperately still wants to be considered a player in the Republican Party. Ever since being replaced as the head of the Republican Party for Harris County by Jared Woodfill, he's been trying to peddle his influence inside the Harris County Criminal Justice Center. He touts his influence with certain judges shamelessly. He mumbles threats that he can have prosecutors fired based on his close relationship with Pat Lykos. It must be working well for him. He apparently made around $400,000 last year in appointments.

I've known him since 1999 and I haven't seen him try a jury trial yet.

He claims to be the Republican "spokesman."

Gary has been backsliding with the Republican Party lately, however. He lost credibility with his conservative constituency as their "spokesman" when he endorsed Annise Parker for Mayor of Houston (lamely explaining that he did so because it was a non-partisan election). He lost credibility with anyone who had half a brain by endorsing Janice Law in 2010 over Judge John Clinton.

Yet, he still attempts to peddle his influence -- selling ads to folks for his "endorsement," which is the proverbial example of not being worth the paper it is printed on.

We had all been waiting with bated breath for Gary's big endorsements which finally came out today. Thankfully, the uninformed Republican masses would be told who to vote for by a guy who redefines taking government subsidies.

And, now, without further ado, here we go . . .

Yeah, that's all he put (at least in regards to elections pertaining to the Harris County Criminal Justice Center.)

He managed to leave a couple of races out. Like the 176th (which is uncontested), the 337th, the 338th (which is uncontested), the 339th (which is uncontested) and the 351st (which is also uncontested). Now, before you go saying "Well, he probably didn't feel a need to make a recommendation in an uncontested race," you'd be wrong. Roger Bridgwater is uncontested in his race, as well. He just felt like doing a little kissing up to Bridgwater (a Lykos crony).

Polland didn't feel strongly enough about either candidate to make a judgment call on the 337th race.

Really.

Renee Magee, a senior Special Crimes prosecutor is running against former Judge Jim Barr, who was literally removed as judge by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for making sexually inappropriate comment from the bench.

And Gary just can't make the tough call on who to endorse. Yeah, that one is tricky.

I feel sorry for you, Gary. I'm sure you wanted to endorse Jim Barr so very very badly, but you just couldn't do it, could you? I guess you thought you would lose credibility like you did with the Parker endorsement.

Newsflash, Gary. You don't have any credibility.

Nor integrity, for that matter.

As a side note, if you are looking for endorsements in the contested races (where nobody paid a single dime for an advertisement and the reasoning for said endorsements are explained), just click here.

Finally! We are now taking about the most obnoxious man in Harris County. Thank you Murray. Connect the dots ... Polland... Yates ....Woodfil ....Bridgwater ..Shadwick ...corrupt and all wearing the religious mantel of rightiousness. Their strength was in their perceived leadership..and a little bit of God had annointed them all... they are all part of the pay to play movement that the Republican rank and file is finally awakening to ....Vote everyone of them out. Make them all get jobs off the public trough.The Juvenile Courts need a good stable cleaning.

Nothing defines unwarranted arrogance quite as well as Gary Polland. He often brags and threatens that he can have ADAs promoted and fired because of his close connections to Pat Lykos. He views himself as some kind of Chicago mafia don. Anyone who spends any time in the courthouse knows that he offers no defense for his clients. I am as State's oriented as they come, but even I am offended at how quickly he will sell out his clients in an effort to turn in a voucher to get paid. Mr. Polland is the exact type of person who gives lawyers a bad name.

Amen. I see him there at the Juvenile justice Center. He is AWFUL! It's "show-up and get paid" because he is no longer relevant. He has tried to pull some weight over at City Hall recently, too. anything to keep his name out there and stay on the public's teet. What a Jackass.

How would you differentiate Terry Lowry and Steve Hotze from Gary Polland?

Would you consider the Link Letter a class act and a go to source for who to vote for in Harris County?As I recall when Lowry supported Lykos in '08 you thought he was the devil. Now that Mike Anderson has crawled under sewage rocks to associate himself with Lowry and brag about it we dare not discusss the implicit moral depravity. Really?

A candidate who chooses to associate himself with vermin like Lowry and Hotze/Blakemore has the same ethical issues as a candidate who chooses to affilite herself with Gary Polland.

10:28 - I'm a prosecutor and not a politician. While I have met Lowry and Hotze, I've never seen either of them come up to me or a fellow prosecutor and threaten to exert their influence with Lykos. I have seen Polland do this. There's one difference. Neither Hotze nor Lowry claim to be anti-government spending, while milking the cash strapped county out of nearly $400,000. There's another difference. Neither Hotze nor Lowry claim to be "staunch Republicans," and then send out mailers endorsing a Democrat because the Democrat paid $40,000.

Many people believe that the folks who send the mass mailers have too much influence in the Republican Party in Harris County. But Polland is simply a hypocrite who tries to gain influence in order to make money from government hand outs. And he doesn't even do a good job (when was the last time you saw some noteworthy or celebrity local defendant say screw Rusty, Chip, Cogdell, etx - I want Polland).

Not surprisingly, Gary Polland is mentioned in several of these articles, which were written over a period of several years, as being favored with appointments by juvenile judges. His attention in these articles isn't the kind that honors his character but rather tarnishes and questions it.

In my personal obserations, I find Gary to be disgustingly arrogant without good reason. He has neither looks, intelligence, character, or anything redeeming of value to offer his clients or peers. Sadly, his Republican Chair replacement, Jared Woodfill, fits the same description.

I'm a former prosecutor and defense attorney. I am a conservative and vote primarily Republican. I would love it if our local party wasn't run by douchebags. Take note Republican activists and organizers. I have one qualification for future Chairs: no douchebags!

1. "I'm a prosecutor and not a politician."--we both know that's not true

2. "While I have met Lowry and Hotze, I've never seen either of them come up to me or a fellow prosecutor and threaten to exert their influence with Lykos."--time to take off your selective blindfolds. If you really are a prosecutor you cannot possibly be that naive or unperceptive. But for M.L. the Lowry/Lykos love affair would be on equal footing with Polland in '12 as it was in '08. BTW, Do you remember when your buddy Chuck helped old Dr. Hotze out with his DWI? And I'm sure you recall Chuck was on the Hotze/Blakemore team just like you.

3. "Neither Hotze nor Lowry claim to be anti-government spending, while milking the cash strapped county out of nearly $400,000. There's another difference."--apparantly you are not aware that Steve Hotze is a physician who operates the "Hotze Clinic". $400K is chicken scratch to that scheme. I wonder what Dr. Hotze milked Medicare out of over the years? Perhaps having prosecutors and judges beholden to his interests is a good thing.

4. "Neither Hotze nor Lowry claim to be "staunch Republicans," and then send out mailers endorsing a Democrat because the Democrat paid $40,000."--Okay so if a paid endorser can only be bought and paid for by republican candidates then somehow that gives the partisan political whore more integrity than a bi-partisan political whore who sells out to the highest bidder across the aisle? Are you f'ing kidding me? A whore is a whore regardless of what name the client goes by.

5. "Many people believe that the folks who send the mass mailers have too much influence in the Republican Party in Harris County."--Damn right they do.

6. "Polland is simply a hypocrite who tries to gain influence in order to make money from government hand outs. And he doesn't even do a good job (when was the last time you saw some noteworthy or celebrity local defendant say screw Rusty, Chip, Cogdell, etx - I want Polland)."--so what do you think about my good friend Murray taking court appointments? Murray Newman has more class and integrity than your high profile mentors and most people aside from you have the good sense to know that.

I am not defending Gary Polland rather simply pointing out that he, Steve Hotze and Terry Lowry are all cut from the same piece of prostitute's cloth. And it is disingenuous at best to assert that your choice of concubine is more virtuous than another's when if truth be told they all "IS" the same skanky slut with the lights on or off.

I have been a close observer and participant of Harris County GOP politics for a long time. The Woodfills and Pollands of the world get by because all the truly qualified people are either too busy or prefer different kinds of positions, the resulting power vacuums leading us to what we presumably deserve. I stopped going to meetings and actively participating when the party became so directly controlled by the far right wing nuts of the area, the comments made by some making me ill.

The race to the lowest common denominator, bottom of the barrel types that pass themselves off as power brokers these days is a big reason why we're in such dire straits. It has come down to small groups of people running star chambers based on the slightest of factors, typically how overtly religious you are, how much more you hate the Democratic party in public than the next guy, and passing a political litmus test no one could reasonable pass unless you are deemed worthy enough to overlook your personal failings. A quick look at how Polland and Woodfill conduct their private lives shows that Hooper is cut from the same cloth, their irresponsible behaviors the kind that should have had them kicked to the curb years ago.

Hotze and Lowry are just hired guns that reportedly sell endorsements anyway. Lykos fell out of favor for very specific reasons but they'd take her back if the price was right. Few voters I've met take either man seriously just as most real power brokers have nothing to do with Woodfill or Polland, the term used to describe both of them summed up as "a couple of worthless, blood-sucking leeches unable to tie their shoes without a paid endorsement".

Make no mistake though, the backbone of the local GOP are well meaning people that don't have the time or energy to follow the antics of these clowns. As such, they can be easily led but consider this, for all the hype, how many people vote locally, how many contribute more than a few bucks to any candidacy, how many volunteer their time to the party?

I'd be just as likely to hire Polland as my defense counsel as I would hire Woodfill to do my taxes or Hooper to handle my public relations work. None of them are fit to make coffee runs never mind contribute meaningfully to a political party. Hooper is so bad that even the jokers running the office roll their eyes when his name is mentioned, this happening ever so rarely despite his belief that he is looked up to.

Anon 7:07 have you not seen Terry "naked mole rat" Lowry? That sumbitch is freakin' weird. A photo is one thing but after seeing that guy live I had to shower for days to get the filth off.

Any candidate endorced by Lowry's Link Letter is someone I will vote against. Now before one of his candidates gets their panties in a wad my point is to render Lowry's influence as insignificant as possible not argue the merits of each individual candidate he endorces. Lowry's candidates have told me time and again they know Lowry is scum but that the end justifies the means. Well then so be it.I decided to discredit Lowery 1st since he is by far the worst of the top 4 offenders.....next up is Polland followed by Hotze. Woodfil is self destructing. I will not limit my networking to a mere 25 people. Game on at the oil patch.

Pat Lykos sought and secured the support and endorsements of Gary Polland and Jared Woodfill.

Mike Anderson sought and secured the support and endorcements of Terry Lowry and Steve Hotze.

WHAT A PERSON ACTUALLY DOES SPEAKS WITH FAR GREATER AUTHORITY THAN WHAT HE PRETENDS TO STAND FOR.

ZACK FERTITTA has taken the high road and shunned these type of vile endorsements. Instead ZACK has sought the support of the ordinary Harris County citizen.Integrity is more important to ZACK FERTITTA than winning at all costs.

About Me

I practice criminal law and criminal law only. I've been involved in the criminal justice system since I was in college, and I've been practicing in Houston for over 18 years.
Most people never have to come down to the Harris County Criminal Justice Center unless they have jury duty. This blog is meant to give the Outsider an inside view.
These are just my opinions. The opinions of the Commenters are also just their opinions and I don't endorse them. But (within reason), I want everybody to be able to have a forum to say what they want to say.